The ability of an insect to respond to chemical stimuli is necessary for the insect to reproduce and feed. For example, insects respond to certain chemical stimuli by moving up a chemical gradient to identify and target a host. Mosquitoes in particular are believed to use olfaction to identify and target sources of blood meal for reproductive purposes. This behavior contributes to the spread of diseases in humans such as malaria, encephalitis, and dengue fever, as well as animal and live stock diseases.
Olfaction plays a critical role in insect behaviors among agricultural pests and disease factors. The structural and functional characterization of the mosquito olfaction system as continued to be the subject of study. Given the importance of controlling this pest and disease factor, what is needed is the identification of agents which stimulate the mosquito odorant receptors in order to further identify agents which may be used to attract mosquitoes into traps, or agents which may be used to repel mosquitoes away from hosts.